Brothers (Somewhat) Grim: The Shermans and “Better Call Saul”

 The passing of songwriterRichard Sherman at age 95 marks the end of an era of Disney-style songwriting.Along with older brother Robert, who died in 2012, Richard was on staff atDisney starting around 1960, working in the early years directly with Walthimself. The 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks, about the filming of MaryPoppins, charmingly illustrates the cozy relationship between Disney andthe two brothers (portrayed by Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak) he liked tocall “the boys.”

 As key players in the makingof Mary Poppins, the Shermans gave the world such jolly tunes as “ASpoonful of Sugar,” “Step in Time,” and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” winning one oftheir multiple Oscars for “Chim Chim Cher-ee." They were alsoresponsible for Walt’s own favorite, the tender ballad, “Feed the Birds.” Inaddition they wrote ditties for scores of other Disney movies, while alsocontributing to the soundtrack of the Disney theme parks such internationalearworms as “It’s A Small World (After All).” Personally, I don’t think I’llever forget the perky theme song for Tomorrowland’s long-defunct Carousel ofProgress (“There’s a bright new beautiful tomorrow/ Shining at the end of everyday”).  Talk about optimism!

 Though at work Richard andRobert Sherman were an unbeatable team, they were not always the best offriends in their private lives. According to Richard, there was never anyserious falling out between the two, but their personalities were such (Richardwas a life-of-the-party type, while his brother would rather read a book) thatthey didn’t mesh well on social occasions. That’s why they stayed clear of oneanother when not working, to the point that in later years Robert took upresidence in England, while Richard stayed put in SoCal. That fact shouldn’tentirely surprise us. Take a look at, for instance, the Bible, where it’s rareto come upon a pair of brothers whose relationship reflects true “brotherly”love. Or check out the very different men sired by the same father inDostoevsky’s masterwork, The Brothers Karamazov.  

 In movieland, there’s a highlysimilar dynamic. I could come up with many examples, but let’s start with thefilm adaptation of John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel East of Eden, in whichbrothers Cal and Aron (deliberately reflecting the tension between Cain andAbel in the Book of Genesis) vie—with disastrous results—for their father’sapprobation and the love of the same girl.

 I’ve been thinking aboutpairs of brothers a lot lately, because (as a latecomer to the joys of cabletelevision) I’m deep into season three of Better Call Saul, the complexlead-up to Breaking Bad. In Better Call Saul, we see theevolution of the shady lawyer Saul Goodman (played by Bob Odenkirk) from hisbeginnings as Jimmy McGill, a natural grifter from Chicago who ends up(following a law school education via correspondence course through theUniversity of Western Samoa) as an attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jimmyis smart enough to be successful, but his every move turns out to be blocked byhis older brother Chuck (Michael McKean), a once-distinguished barrister withsevere psychological issues and a longstanding envy of Jimmy’s naturalcharisma. Jimmy loves and admires Chuck, in his way, but will never allow Chuckto bring him down.  Chuck, we sense, hasalways hated his kid brother, ever since he figured out that Jimmy was theirmother’s favorite.

  (Yup, it sounds like a much more seriousversion of the Smothers Brothers, another filial pair we’re in process oflosing. Tommy Smothers—whose signature line was “Mom always liked youbest!”—died on December 26, 2023.)